This Yankees-Red Sox Series Is Important

Let’s just be upfront about this. This series matters regardless of the month, so if the Yankees win the series it’s big and if they lose, it sucks. Obviously, every game counts, but this series matters for 3 very specific reasons.

1. The Yankees Should Stink – Before the season started, the Yankees were projected to be a .500 team at best. Half our team is young and unproven, while the other half is old and not living up to contract expectations. Well that inexperienced offense with a ton of question marks, leads all of baseball with a +30 run differential. All while ranking in the top 3 for batting average, OPS, and home runs. Of course, based on what we saw out of some of our youngsters in the minors and their short stints on the big club, maybe they would produce but the pitching would be terrible. That pitching ranks 2nd in baseball when it comes to ERA. We’re exceeding expectations by leaps and bounds, all without our future MVP catcher, a possible All-Star shortstop and a first baseman that forgot how to hit.
2. The Red Sox Should Be Better – The Red Sox came into the season thinking all they had to worry about was how to beat the Indians in the ALCS. Last year they won the AL East and since then they lost Papi, but gained Chris Sale and got back a slimmed down Panda. I mean what could go wrong? Well first, DAVID PRICE WILL NEED TOMMY JOHN SURGERY AND THE RED SOX ARE DELAYING THE INEVITABLE. No matter how much Sox fans want to say, “Price is our 3rd starter”, you paid him $217 million. If it was the last couple years of his contract, like we have with CC, then you can make that argument. Not in Year 2 after you were swept out of the playoffs. Chris Sale on the other hand has been amazing. I’m not looking forward to facing him Wednesday at all. But unless he starts driving in runs for himself, the lineup hasn’t been much help. There have been excuses about a flu going around the team, but you don’t get back games lost because you were swapping spit in the clubhouse.
3. This Could Start The Rivalry Back Up – Let’s be honest here, this rivalry has stunk for years. Even when both teams are playing well, there just isn’t any fire. The players make too much money and have been socializing off the field too much to hate each other. That is until you bring in a whole new crop of players, which both teams have. There are young guys on both sides that are trying to prove they belong not only at the MLB level, but in the conversation for the best players in the game. There are big contracts on both sides that the media is constantly criticizing. Especially some of the new ones on the Red Sox side. The rivalry has to start back up somewhere, and what better place than an early season game when both teams are pretty even?

At the end of this, fans on one side or the other are going to say, “It’s April, these games don’t matter.” So, I just want to put it out there early that these games do matter, and they matter for both sides. You can’t win a World Series in April but plenty of teams have played themselves out of contention in April.